Who Says Cupcakes Have ALL The Fun?

I’d like to take a brief moment to talk about cupcakes. Personally, I find it a little odd that the popularity of the cupcake has reached such epic proportions.

There are tv shows about cupcakes.

There are blogs dedicated solely to cupcakes.

There are bakeries that only sell cupcakes.

I suppose I kind of get it. I can’t deny that they are cute, fun and tasty. The good people of the world love their cupcakes. Some people even pay a lot money for these ridiculously overpriced 4 inch sugar injected treats.

Certainly though, cupcakes aren’t the only delicious little baked good that can bring a smile to someones mouth.

In all honesty, I don’t really have anything against cupcakes. I enjoy making them and eating them from time to time, but I am not writing an ode to cupcakes today. Nope, I figure they all ready get way too much attention on their own. Instead, I’ve decided to dedicate this post to another yummy, easy to make, fantastic to eat and totally underrated treat.

Muffins.

Yup. Muffins.

Can anybody explain to me why these cutie pies don’t they get any of the fun-loving attention they deserve?

Some of you might say, “A muffin? Seriously? Is she really sticking up for bland, predictably boring muffins? They are dry, they are plain, they don’t deserve any homage!”

Well, to those who may think that, I have to tell you, I strongly disagree.

Muffins are fantastic!

First of all, they aren’t as delicate as their fancy-shmancy cousins the cupcakes who always get all dressed up with their icings and decorations. And because muffins don’t have that all of that sugary goop on top they are much easier to transport, store and share.

Muffins are like the girl next door in the world of baking; relaxed, down to earth and low maintenance.

Also, muffins aren’t made with as many eggs, butter and sugar as cupcakes, so while they are still a sweet treat, they have far less calories and fat than the snobby little cupcake.

I will even go as far as to say (if made correctly) muffins can be one of the very best bakery items around.

Having said that, I have been on quite a mission over the past 3 years searching for the most perfect chocolate chip muffin recipe in the world.

I would estimate that I have tried at least 15 different recipes; some have been absolute trash worthy, others mediocre and others, while very good, surely not title worthy of “The Best.”

Along the way, I have been very fortunate to find a few fantastic muffin recipes which I hold near and dear to my heart.

I’ve filed away a fresh lemon muffin recipe that is filled with just the right amount of sweetness and tartness. I have also added to my collection a wonderful and moist coffee cake muffin recipe that serves as wonderful comfort food on cold hurried mornings. But my absolute favorite is a larger than life blueberry muffin that is to die for, and has been rightfully named so by its creator, Colleen, at AllRecipes.

Oh, blueberry muffins! How I praise thee!

From the very beginning of blueberry season right up to the very end these muffins are some-what of a staple in our home. These very muffins have been plentiful in our kitchen for the past two years and will be, I expect, until the end of time.

Now, you may be asking yourself what is it exactly that I consider the qualities of a fabulous muffin.

Well, to start with, I love a harder and somewhat chewy, almost flakey outside that surrounds a dense, moist and pillowy like inside. It’s important to me that the feature ingredients are distributed evenly throughout, not overwhelming the muffin but truly not leaving any bite deprived. I look for a sweet (but not too sweet) batter and I LOVE when all of the flavors in a muffin, from the first bite to the last, marry well but more importantly stand out slightly on their own.

This leads me back to my search of the ultimate chocolate chip muffin. I disappointingly found in nearly all of the recipes I had tried that the muffins were extremely dry and the chocolate chips would be just that, chocolate bits that didn’t blend in with the rest of the muffin. The outsides were too hard and always fairly (if not terribly) bland. Overall, the treats always faired very disappointing and not worth making again.

Yesterday, however, I decided to take my very favorite blueberry muffin recipe and throw caution to wind. I made a few minor, very simple changes and ended up with the most perfect, absolutely delicious and to die for chocolate chip muffin.

Now, it certainly wouldn’t be nice of me to brag and tease you with all of this talk about the two best muffins that I’ve ever made without sharing with you the recipes, would it?

Below you will find the both of the recipes that I’ve adapted from Colleens original recipe, which you can find here. You will see that the batter is exactly the same for both recipes, with the exception of the stars… blueberries or chocolate chips. You will also notice that the topping is almost identical; the only change is the addition of cocoa powder for the chocolate chip muffins.

OR…

METHOD…

I do hope that you will take a few minutes (yes, they are very easy) to create the very best muffins you have ever made and better yet, ever ate.

Your taste buds will thank you, your family will thank you!

And you will be thankful that you can enjoy these spectacular little things just moments after taking them out of the oven. Nope, you won’t have to wait for them to cool off before dressing them up with fancy things before indulging like other certain treats.

Oh Ginger, only today I was so overly passionate about cupcakes! Don’t judge me for it but I am one of those people… you’ll see in my post, I say I’m usually so dismissive to buy in to such overly popular things, but with the cupcake front I SO AM! Also, in the UK it is definitely not as over blown as it is in the states I don’t think!
Anyway, to the muffins, they look totally amazing… I will definitely try to make these little babies soon! Great, and inspiring post…
( but please, like I said, don’t hate the cupcakes… )

I have to be honest with you, lovie! I actually had my post all typed up but felt as if it were lacking so I took a break and read your red velvet cupcake post and was inspired to add the cupcake twist 🙂 I love cupcakes, I was just trying to be a bit of a smart ass and maybe stir up some cupcake lovers! Thanks for your help with my post and I look forward to each and every cupcake you blog about! No hate for the cupcake!
Cheers! ❤

Oh how kind – I think (wink wink). Great post though, must say! Feels like you had fun making it too!
You can obviously see from my baking blogging attempts that YOU are my inspiration! Great post ginger, keep it going!

It is not fair to see this post at 11.30 pm! actually it is a form of torture..
I actually love muffins much more that cupcakes and I have been planning to make these ever since my muffin disaster lol
I will go and dream of these beauties till I get some chocolate chips tomorrow

Ahh, Sawsan, this is merely payback for your lovely apple strudel pizza that I devoured half of today 😉 I do hope you will make these, they are extra fanastic! I hope you will get a good nights sleep tonight!

Okay, first of all, that thing you said about your sense of humor being gone…so untrue.

Second, as a girl who considers herself a bit of a cupcake connoisseur, I will still admit to loving this post. And, one more thing I’d add about the benefits of a muffin…muffins are like cupcakes that are socially acceptable to eat for breakfast! (Although, I won’t say I’ve never eaten a cupcake for breakfast, too. But at least with a muffin I don’t feel as guilty about it). 🙂

Muffins definitely hold a special place in my heart. There used to be a store called Mmmmmmmmmmuffins, that sold only muffins and had a great variety. It closed down years ago, but sold a to-die-for chocolate chip muffin. Can’t wait to try your version!

I’m a muffin lover too. We had batches galore all winter long. I bet yours are awesome and will try them. I like the website, Mennonite Girl’s Can Cook for muffun recipes too. Cupcakes are lovely but make me think of all the great parties we had over the the years in Kindergarten…great but sticky! Muffins are easier for kids to manage and I think parents are more in line with this now than trying to over do the decorated cupcakes. I will try yours this week, thankyou.

Mmmmm….muffins. Yummy. I used to be a blueberry muffun junkie growing up. I used to bribe my mom to make them for me on holidays and weekends. I am still a fan but now my favorite muffin is sweet potato which I haven’t had since WW but I am sure one of these days I will splurge and have one again. I really want to try out your recipes though, they look fantastic!

I love it. Someone else who doesn’t get the whole cupcake thing. My wife made them for the first time the other day and after icing a few said, this is a giant pain in the a… anyway. We loved the recipe and will post it, but I bet she makes a cake next time. Great non-cupcake recipe too!

it’s so good to meet you too, ginger. thanks for stopping by my blog & i do hope you visit often! i’ve been peeking around your blog, too, now and i think i’ll visit you some more too. 🙂 as for the cupcakes, my wife just had a birthday & got a whole bunch of cupcake supplies, so i think we’ll be enjoying those tasty little treats this coming weekend. cupcakes are “in” big time right now in sweden… they don’t have them here really. but, just recently i’ve spotted some in a nearby cafe! hope you have a great wednesday, and hope we meet again! ~ liz

There is something to be said for feeling comfort from creating comfort foods as in the honorable blueberry muffin. Our sense of taste is the first sense of new life and the last of our five senses to leave us.
Your determination to create and make human effort in these times inspires me. Upward!